


Come Out into The Light

by KaytiKitty



Series: ATLA One-shots [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Coming Out, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Homophobia, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Iroh (Avatar) loves Tea, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Toph Beifong, Misgendering, Nonbinary Aang (Avatar), Nonbinary Character, Post-100 Year War (Avatar TV), Post-Canon, Transphobia, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27573229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKitty/pseuds/KaytiKitty
Summary: Being back in the Earth kingdom is refreshing for Toph, not because it's the home of her element, because it's the only place where it isn't illegal to be herself. When Aang asks her and Zuko to have a meeting with him and Iroh she's expecting to have a conversation about something serious but she wasn't expecting Aang to beat her to coming out.
Relationships: Aang & Iroh (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong, Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & The Gaang (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Iroh, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: ATLA One-shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888360
Comments: 3
Kudos: 114





	Come Out into The Light

Same sex relationships weren't allowed in the fire nation. It was common knowledge across all the nations, less common was the way it was forbidden in the water tribes too. Toph knew that, it was impossible not to with the way Katara and Sokka reacted when walking through the earth kingdom, by their scowls and sneers and Sokka's mild disgust and Katara's eyerolls.

Even Zuko wasn't as disturbed by the same sex couples that would wonder past them as the siblings. Actually, he didn't seem to mind at all. He didn't stare or pause or move away like they were diseased. Everyone knew the fire nation hated gay people and would sentence those convicted to death, yet Zuko never reacted poorly. He never curse or frowned at them, he… he even seemed friendly. 

Toph was glad he had come with them, glad he had taken time off from his firelord duties. She was so glad because she trusted him. Seeing him react to being around the gay people gave her enough hope that her trust wasn't misplaced. She would tell him, possibly all of them. 

Of course, Aang had been the first to know. Toph hadn't even told him, he just knew. She supposed that growing up in the air temple, famous for their acceptance and fluid sexuality and gender identity, would make him more sensitive to that. It still had surprised her when he had come up beside her one day, back when Zuko had just joined, and told her in his soft, joyful voice that there was an incredibly beautiful girl a few feet away from her. 

"I'm not going to talk to your crush for you. I'm not here to get the avatar a hookup," Toph had said. Aang had immediately giggled in that way that made Toph picture a particularly bright eyed baby. 

"I meant you should talk to her to see if she would date you!" He whispered, or attempted to but he was never one for subtlety. Toph had sucked in a deep breath, prepared for something bad to happen. Nothing did, her fist unclenched and her feet relaxed against the soft dirt. Afterall, nothing could happen to the greatest earth bender around. 

Aang had never brought it up since but every so often he'd try to play wingman to a girl he knew that Toph "would just love!" 

"Toph?" Zuko's rough voice asked, in a soft voice. Caring but not pitying, tone that of a sibling and Toph was grinning before she could stop herself. 

"What, Sparky?" She questioned, trying to keep her fondness from leaking through her words. She knew she had failed when Zuko's shoulder knocked against hers in a show of affection.

"Aang wants you to come with us tonight to have tea with Uncle. Katara and Sokka are going with Suki to visit Haru so they won't be there." Zuko awkwardly paused to look at something. Toph stopped a few feet in front of him, letting him look. Neither of them worried about losing the rest of the group, Aang was the avatar but he was also like a small child. You could hear him from miles away when he got excited. 

"We're not going to see Haru?" Toph asked in confusion. She hadn't been close with Haru or any of the boys who used to travel with them but she was still happy to learn that Haru had started a successful career and found a beautiful girlfriend, even if she thought he was too young for all that adult drama. 

"Not tonight. Aang wants to talk to us privately. He seemed pretty nervous about it and considering he doesn't want to tell Katara I figure it's something… of an, er, certain topic." Zuko sounded awkward but not above his usual level and Toph really didn't know how to react to that. She didn't know if Zuko meant what she was thinking or if it was something else. If it was about Aang being gay then does that mean he was okay with it? If he was okay with it would he be okay with her? 

"Okay, I'll be there Sparky. Tell Twinkletoes for me," Toph ended her sentence by jerking her head to where she could hear Aang and Sokka getting in trouble. 

"Oh shi-" Zuko swore as he went to help Katara wrangle the immature duo. Toph grinned as she slipped into the crowd to cause some trouble of her own now that she gave Zuko the slip. 

"I left you alone for five minutes, Toph! Five minutes!" Zuko was complaining as he led the two younger kids down the road to where Iroh was waiting for them. 

"It was enough time and I still owed that guy a good beatdown." Toph smiled at the noises of displeasure from both of the boys, Aang sounded more scandalized than Zuko's resignation and it made Toph want to laugh.

"I signed up to save the world, not babysit all you children," Zuko mumbled. Toph affectionately punched him in the arm while Aang giggled. 

"We love you too, Sifu Hotman." The monk said and while they were all still giggling the words were so sincere Toph didn't have to see to know a blush was on the firelord's face.

"Ah! There's my nephew!" Iroh called as soon as the trio stepped into the doorway of The Jasmine Dragon. "Toph, Aang, how wonderful to see you again!" Iroh embraced Zuko before bowing in greeting to the other two children. 

"Hello, Uncle." Zuko stepped back so he was behind Aang and beside Toph. There was no mistaking the meaning of that, Aang had called this meeting to say something and Zuko was giving Aang the lead. Toph hadn't heard the Avatar's heart beat so fast, not even when discussing the evil fire guy that wanted to kill him. "Perhaps… we can get our tea?" Zuko offered when the silence stretched a little too long to be comfortable and Aang's breathing became off center. 

"Brilliant idea, Nephew!" Iroh said. The group shuffled over to a table while Iroh chatted up what tea flavors he thought they would all like. Eventually the conversation settled as Iroh got up to prepare the tea, still chattering idly with the children while he did so. "So, Ms. Beifong, how are you enjoying your visit back home?" 

Toph snorted. "I find staying with Sparky to be more homely than being back in the Earth kingdom." Toph frowned and leaned back. "It is nice being away from some of those cruel and restrictive rules in your nation." 

She heard the interest from all three of her companions not only in the way their heats changed rhythm but also in the shifting fabric as the two boys shifted nearer to her. "Oh?" Iroh asked calmly as his footsteps came closer. 

All Toph could do was nod as Aang began to speak. "I don't understand most of the rules these days, especially not the fire nation ones. They don't make any sense!" Toph could honestly say she had missed the childlike rantings of a preteen compared to Aang's forced Avatar diplomacy. 

"I agree," Zuko chimed in. Toph tilted her head in curiosity, hoping he'd continue. "Personally, I think that my family's attempt to remove most forms of happiness from the nation were misguided but reading the laws and punishments they actually put into place..." Zuko shook his head in disgust to finish the thought. 

"How do you feel about the gender law?" Aang asked suddenly, spurring a heavy silence over the room. "The one where it says there are only two gender and that your gender has to match your sex at birth and anything else is wrong and punishable by death?" 

The slight breathlessness in his voice as he slowly started to spiral made Toph want to remind him that he was an airbender and he should definitely not be allowed to hyperventilate. The beating of his heart told her now wasn't the time to make jokes. 

"I think," Zuko started speaking and Aang stopped breathing, "I think that people should be able to be happy with who they are and happy with their lives." The words were awkward, like they had been practiced, but they were genuine. 

"Oh… good," Aang said. Nobody rushed him, they simply sat in the slightly uncomfortable atmosphere and sipped on their tea until he was ready to speak again. "I'm not a boy," Aang finally found the courage to say. "Not a girl either." 

"Then what… are you?" Zuko questioned, honestly confused. "Not that I think it's bad! I-I just don't know!" There was the awkward rush of guilt and consoling that was so familiar to their fire prince. Toph smiled into her tea. 

"I don't know really," Aang admitted. "The nomads believed in several different gender identities. The most common was gender fluid, where you could be a boy or a girl or both all at once and it would shift like water through your life. Each second a new chance to be true to yourself. I thought I was that… but I'm not a bot or a girl ever so I can't be that and… and…" Aang was beginning to ramble and his heart had sped up to the point Toph was worried after his well being. 

"What are your pronouns?" Iroh asked calmly. All the attention fell to him as he calmly sipped at his tea. "I've provided aid for many gender nonconforming people who needed to escape my father's laws. Perhaps I could assist?" 

Aang and Toph both stared at Iroh, at the fire nation war general, who had just admitted to treason. Zuko seemed unphased and Toph wondered how long Zuko had been aware of this plot.

"I like to be called they," Aang said. Their hand came up to run along the tattoo and across their bald head. "They/them." 

"Like the plural noun but just for you?" Toph asked for confirmation. There was just a beat of silence until Zuko snorted into his tea and Toph knew that Aang had just nodded to answer her. "Come on, Twinkletoes, you know I'm blind!" 

As Aang stumbled out apologies, Iroh hummed in amusement, and Zuko broke out into full cackles Toph simply leaned back with a self-satisfied grin. She felt more relaxed now about when she came out, hearing Zuko take this in stride, but she could wait. She didn't want to copy Aang and take their thunder. 

And maybe she wasn't quite ready yet. But she knew it would be okay when she finally was. 


End file.
